A physical security system is a system that implements measures to prevent unauthorized persons from gaining physical access to an asset, such as a building, a facility, or confidential information. Examples of physical security systems include surveillance systems, such as a system in which cameras are used to monitor the asset and those in proximity to it; access control systems, such as a system that uses RFID cards to control access to a building; intrusion detection systems, such as a home burglary alarm system; and combinations of the foregoing systems.
A physical security system often incorporates computers. As this type of physical security system gets larger, the computing power required to operate the system increases. For example, as the number of cameras in a surveillance system increases, the requisite amount of computing power also increases to allow additional video to be stored and to allow simultaneous use and management of a higher number of cameras. Research and development accordingly continue into overcoming problems encountered as a physical security system grows.